270 Dr, Reynolds on Meteors, 



their influence.* The exterior strata of the earth, and espe- 

 cially the more exposed parts thereof, envelope in their com- 

 pounds, elements of an identity of character with those com- 

 posing meteoric stones. 



The atmosphere is the great recipient of all volatilized bo- 

 dies ; it possesses but feebly the powers of a solvent, unaided 

 by heat or moisture, but when these are adjuvants, no body in 

 nature can totally resist their action for a long time. 



Now if the above principles are admitted, we have in their 

 application a reasonable solution of most meteoric phenomena. 

 Thus, the rays of the sun darting through the atmosphere 

 reach the surface of the earth, where, by accumulation, they 

 produce sensible heat, which though not intense, is steady and 

 uniform, for many hours every day ; minute portions of the 

 earthy and metallic compounds exposed to the sun's influence, 

 will be volatilized by the absorption of heat, and thereby assum- 

 ing the state of elastic fluids, will ascend until they arrive at 

 media of their own density. The atmosphere in contact, will 

 have some of its particles blended in these compounds, will 

 ascend with them, and to supply the vacuum, new portions of 

 air will rush in and ascend, and the process will continue until 

 the sun's rays are withdrawn, or interrupted by some of the 

 common occurrences of nature. 



The utmost height to which these elastic fluids ascend, may 

 be estimated at something more than one hundred miles ; and 

 they float at every intermediate distance between their great- 

 est elevation and the clouds, but rarely below the latter, ex- 

 cept their course is directed towards the earth in their explo- 

 sions. They probably ascend at first in small daily detached 

 portions of gaseous clouds, and are diff"used over wide regions ; 

 but having no sensible resistance opposed to their mutual at- 

 traction, they will by the laws of their affinities congregate into 

 immense volumes of highly concentrated elastic fluids, which 

 on exploding will exhibit all the phenomena of bursting mete- 



* Here we might properly enough notice the high-wa3-s, streets, and pavements 

 of cities, &c. on which the materials being minutely divided by attrition, are in a 

 better state for the sun to act freely on, and will consequently yield greater pro- 

 ducts than equal areas of undisturbed surface. Under like circumstances of heat. 



